The sound of iron against wood rang out on the bridge as Stefan lashed his whip repeatedly. And over and over again, Maleficent deflected the blows with her staff. They moved forward and backward, their motions a terrifying mockery of a romantic waltz. The fight took them from the bridge onto another, neither of them backing down, both of them determined to win. Maleficent forgot that Aurora was nearby. Forgot that she had come to save her. All she could think about was defeating Stefan once and for all. Making him pay for the pain he had caused her and his daughter. Her mind went blank with rage and she slammed her staff into Stefan.
They were so engrossed in their fight that neither noticed the ground beneath their feet was shaking. Nor did they notice that Diaval was still clinging to the tower, scrambling toward the roof and sending debris and iron plummeting to the ground far below. And they definitely didn’t notice that standing on a smaller bridge right underneath them was Aurora. The princess stood helplessly as broken pieces of the tower slammed into her bridge, causing it to shake violently.
And then Aurora’s bridge collapsed.
Maleficent heard an ear-piercing scream, and her rage vanished, instantly replaced by fear. Turning, she saw Aurora falling. The girl’s arms flailed as she tried to slow her fall. But it was useless. The ground was quickly approaching. Maleficent frantically looked around for some way to help her beloved Aurora. But there was nothing she could do. Her magic wasn’t powerful enough and she didn’t have the wings to fly. And then she noticed Diaval and felt a surge of hope. The girl meant as much to him as she did to Maleficent. He was not going to let her die. As Diaval perched on the roof of the tower, his eyes were glued to Aurora. He judged the distance and then, with a mighty flap of his huge wings, launched himself from the roof and swooped down after Aurora.
Maleficent’s heart stopped as she watched Diaval’s huge black body speed down after Aurora’s small pale one. He stretched his neck, going faster and faster. Then he reached out his claws and closed them around Aurora, swooping safely back up right before they both hit the ground.
Air flooded into Maleficent’s lungs and her heart began to beat once more as she watched the two land safely nearby. That had been too close for comfort. If Diaval had been just one second slower…
Whish!
Maleficent let out a cry as Stefan’s iron-chain whip wrapped around her arm. Unprepared for the pain, Maleficent lost her grip on her staff. She watched helplessly as it fell over the edge of the bridge.
Seeing that she no longer had a way to defend herself, Stefan let out an evil laugh. He began to lash her. Raising her hands in front of her face, Maleficent tried to duck out of the way. But the whip kept coming. Taking a few steps back, she let out a gasp as her foot found air instead of ground. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that she was backed up against the edge of the bridge. There was nowhere left to go.
As she turned back, her eyes met Stefan’s. So this is how it will end, Maleficent thought sadly, looking at the king’s evil grin. All the years of hate and battles. The walls that had been built, of iron and thorn. They had all been for naught. They had not been the things to destroy either Maleficent or Stefan. In the end, it would be a fall. A fall into nothing. Letting out a sigh, Maleficent waited for the inevitable. She watched as Stefan’s smile grew broader and broader as he waited for the inevitable, as well.
And then his smile vanished.
Behind her, Maleficent heard a whoosh, and then she felt something she hadn’t felt in many, many years. It was a feeling of comfort, of wholeness. It was a feeling almost as strong as the love she felt for Aurora. A smile began to spread across her face as she slowly turned around.
There, hovering in the air, were her wings.
They were as strong and beautiful as they had been on the day Stefan took them from her, and Maleficent let out a soft cry. How could this be? she wondered. Had they been there, in the castle, all along? And if they had been, how had they been released? Looking down, she saw Aurora and suddenly knew just how they had come back to her. Somehow, Aurora had found the missing piece of her. With a huge smile, Maleficent turned back to her wings and opened her arms.
There was an earth-shattering crack and Maleficent disappeared in a magical explosion of light. When the light faded, Maleficent and her wings were one once more. With a mighty flap, she lifted herself high in the air and hovered, glorying in the moment. She had never believed this day would come. Yet it had. And now she was close to having everything she needed and wanted in the world.
While she wanted to fly high into the air and forget the problems below while she dipped and soared on the wind, once again free to go wherever she pleased, there was one last thing to take care of.
Swooping down, she slammed Stefan with one of her powerful wings. The king was thrown back, stumbling as he tried to keep his footing. Flying forward, Maleficent held him up against the tower wall. She leaned forward, her face mere inches from Stefan’s.
“You won’t kill me,” Stefan said, trying to sound brave but failing. “I’m her father.”
For a moment, Maleficent didn’t say anything. She just stared at Stefan, struggling with herself. She had never wanted to hurt someone as much as she wanted to hurt Stefan. He deserved it. That she was sure of. Yet before he had betrayed her, Maleficent had never believed in revenge. She had never wanted to hurt anyone or anything. Stefan had changed all that the day he broke her heart. But if she killed him now, wouldn’t that be letting him get the best of her? Wouldn’t that, in a way, be letting him win? Aurora could forgive her for a lot, but would she be able to forgive her for killing her father?
With a sigh, Maleficent released Stefan, landing and taking a step back. She waited, wondering if this act of kindness would restore anything of the man she once cared for. But instead, he said, “I want you to know that I never loved you.”
Maleficent let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, Stefan,” she replied. “You never were a good liar.”
There was nothing left to be said or done. Maleficent turned and began to walk away. But hearing the sound of running footsteps, she whipped around just in time to see Stefan racing toward her, an iron knife gripped in his hand. A moment later, he slammed into her, and together, they fell off the bridge.
The moonlight silhouetted their bodies as Maleficent and Stefan plummeted toward the ground. Maleficent’s wings were cupped around them, almost like an opaque hammock, preventing those below from witnessing their fight. The king struggled against the wings as he tried to stab Maleficent. In turn, she ducked and wove to elude the weapon, causing their fall to take on an erratic pattern. But while she managed to avoid the knife, she wouldn’t be able to avoid the ground, which was rapidly approaching.
As Stefan raised the knife once more, Maleficent flipped over. The sudden movement caused the king to lose his grip, and before she could grab him, Stefan fell out of her arms.
A moment later, his body hit the ground and lay there, lifeless.
Opening her wings, Maleficent slowed her fall and rose into the air. Then, seeing Stefan on the ground, she swept low and landed next to him. Bowing her head, she closed her eyes, a myriad of emotions coursing through her.
The person lying on the ground next to her was the first person to have loved her. The first person she had loved. And for that, she felt grateful. For without any understanding of love, she could never have opened her heart to Aurora. But this person was also the first to have betrayed her and the reason she had closed her heart for so long. He had been her blessing and her curse. And now he was no more. She felt a deep sadness. But after a moment, she realized it was sadness not for her, but for Aurora. For the girl would never have the chance to know her father.
As Maleficent raised her head, her eyes met Aurora’s. The girl stood a bit away, her face pale. But meeting Maleficent’s gaze, she nodded. And in that nod, Maleficent knew that Aurora would be fine. She would forg
ive Maleficent for her part in this, and she would live a happy life, surrounded by beauty, nature, and loved ones. And Maleficent would be there to guide her and protect her…always. She had found her family once more. And it was in a kindred spirit. A human girl.
THE MOORS WERE ABUZZ WITH EXCITEMENT. The wallerbogs burbled and gurgled more mud. The dew faeries flew from leaf to leaf, leaving sparkling water shining like diamonds in their wake. In the streams, the water faeries preened more than usual. The rest of the Fair Folk headed straight for the Faerie Mound. Today was the big day, and they did not want to miss anything.
Maleficent stood in front of the throne on the Mound, smiling at the familiar faces around her. Diaval stood at her side. Nearby, Sweetpea winked at her, and Robin positively beamed. Maleficent felt so grateful they were all there. Her family.
A rustle in the brush alerted them that their guest of honor had arrived. Maleficent turned her head to see Aurora striding toward the Mound, a halo of sunlit hair glowing around her face. The flowers bloomed excitedly as Aurora passed them, and the hovering sparrows chirped happily. She stopped in front of Maleficent, grinning at her faerie godmother. Maleficent’s eyes welled with proud tears.
“Oh, there she is! Hurry up! They’re waiting!” Knotgrass’s shrill voice came from the other side of the Mound. The crowd turned to see Knotgrass and Flittle zigzagging toward them with a gleaming crown in tow.
“Wait for me!” Thistlewit called, trailing behind them.
As soon as the three pixies reached Maleficent and Aurora, they paused midair, gasping dramatically to catch their breath. Maleficent restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Finally, Knotgrass spoke.
“We present this crown to our little Aurora, for whom we have sacrificed the best years of our—” She coughed, stopping her speech as soon as she saw the glare Maleficent was giving her.
Maleficent knew it was time to take matters in her own hands. Never send a pixie to do a faerie godmother’s job, she thought, taking the crown from Knotgrass. Then, ever so gently, she placed it upon Aurora’s head.
“You have your queen,” Maleficent announced to the crowd. A joyous cheer erupted. Maleficent watched Aurora smile warmly, a smile that only grew as she saw Phillip approach the throne. Maleficent watched as Aurora greeted the border guards, shaking their wooden hands, officially forming a new allegiance. It was all Maleficent’s parents had wanted—peace and harmony. The scene overwhelmed Maleficent.
Aurora would make a great and noble queen. One to unite the lands and bring the humans and Fair Folk together.
But, as many thought whenever they saw the graceful figure soaring through the air, it took a great hero and a terrible villain to make it all come about. And her name was Maleficent.
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